Chapter 1 - THE MAN BRADLEY FEARED
Damian Russo did not hurry.
That was the first thing Bradley noticed.
He simply crossed the ballroom as conversations faded around him one by one.
Six feet three.
Black tuxedo.
No visible security.
No expression anyone sensible wanted directed at them.
Damian had built legitimate shipping and logistics companies across New York and New Jersey, but everyone in the room knew there were other reasons men lowered their voices when his name appeared.
Bradley’s face lost color.
“Why is Russo coming over here?”
I picked up my champagne.
“You asked where my husband was.”
His eyes snapped toward me.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No, you did not marry Damian Russo.”
I looked at my wedding ring.
“Apparently I did.”
Natalie slowly released Bradley’s arm.
Smart woman.
Damian stopped beside me.
His gaze moved over my face first.
Then my shoulders.
Then Bradley.
He knew me well enough to recognize when I was angry.
“You okay?”
Those were his first words.
Not Who is this?
Not What happened?
Me.
I nodded.
“I’m fine.”
Bradley laughed nervously.
“Damian. Bradley Farnsworth. We’ve actually—”
“I know who you are.”
Bradley stopped.
That surprised me.
Damian placed one hand gently at the small of my back.
Not possessive.
Grounding.
Then he looked at the half-circle of people still pretending not to listen.
“I’m sorry I’m late, sweetheart.”
Bradley stared at me.
Sweetheart.
I almost enjoyed that more than I should have.
Then Damian noticed my untouched champagne.
“What happened?”
“Nothing worth ruining the evening over.”
Bradley immediately said:
“We were just joking.”
Damian looked at him.
“What was funny?”
Silence.
It was extraordinary how quickly bullies lost their vocabulary when an audience stopped being safe.
Natalie cleared her throat.
“Bradley was surprised Penelope was married.”
“Why?”
Bradley swallowed.
“No reason.”
I answered for him.
“He said no successful man would marry a woman who looks like me.”
Damian became completely still.
Bradley rushed forward.
“That is not exactly—”
“It is exactly.”
Damian looked at me.
Not Bradley.
“You want to stay?”
That question changed everything.
He was not asking permission to destroy my ex-boyfriend.
He was asking whether I wanted to leave.
“I want dessert.”
His mouth moved slightly.
“Then we stay.”
Bradley exhaled.
Too soon.
Damian turned back to him.
“My wife also mentioned your company recently.”
I frowned.
“I did?”
“No.”
His eyes stayed on Bradley.
“My people did.”
Bradley went pale again.
“Why?”
Damian reached inside his jacket and removed a folded card.
Farnsworth Capital Partners.
Bradley’s firm.
On the back, Damian had written one number.
$18,400,000.
I looked at him.
“What is that?”
Damian’s jaw tightened.
“Money missing from one of my shipping companies.”
Bradley stepped backward.
“I don’t know anything about that.”
“Interesting.”
Damian slipped the card away.
“Because it passed through your accounts.”
The ballroom no longer mattered.
My ex-boyfriend had not merely humiliated me in front of strangers.
He was connected to missing Russo money.
Then Bradley looked at me and said something I did not understand.
“Penelope, tell him.”
“Tell him what?”
His fear became desperation.
“That you know why the money moved.”
I stared.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Bradley laughed once.
A terrible sound.
“Then your husband never told you what you signed.”
Damian went still beside me.
May you like
I turned toward him.
“What did I sign?”
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